This slim, all-in-one seed starting unit fits on a windowsill and ensures a steady supply of water for seedlings. Just keep the reservoir filled and the soil will remain perfectly moist. The APS 12 ensures sturdy, healthy transplants that will thrive in your garden. The insulated growing tray and greenhouse cover trap warmth and moisture to speed germination. The capillary matting and reservoir let seedlings help themselves to water as they need it, even if you're away. Seedlings pop right out of the tray for planting, which prevents root damage and transplant shock. We recommend our Germinating Mix. Replacement Parts are also available.

I like the APS units in general and have evolved to using the 12-compartment ones for several reasons. They are easy to handle. Seedlings are not as crowded as in the 24- or 40- units. I have some of each size that may be as much as 15 years old, and they have mostly held up.

These new ones are a notch below the old ones, though. The black plastic liner is so thin I can see it cracking within a year. Some of the old ones I have did eventually crack and I was able to repair them with caulk. But these new ones act like they will crush and crack in so many places it's almost ridiculous. Maybe the new liner costs less to produce, but I can't imagine it's more than a penny or two, and it will fail much sooner. This isn't good engineering.

A more significant shortcoming of all of the APS units is that the wicking pad (and the design of the base) makes it hard to deliver fertilizer uniformly to the seedlings. Since the pad dips into the reservoir only at one end, nutrients wicking up the pad are grabbed by the plants closest to the wicking end. My solution is to use two pads, one draping over each end, but the base doesn't have quite enough clearance to make this easy, so I have to force the components to fit together. It would be easy to redesign the unit and supply two half pads so that fluid could be wicked up from both ends.

I've owned an aps40 and two aps 12's for several years.I prefer to grow my vegetables from seedsas more varieties are available as opposed to buying plants, not to mention the high cost of plants. The aps 12 sits on my window sils just fine and I add water to the reservoir once a week is all that is required.

I have been using APS systems for at least 20 years, and have slowly converted most of my seed germination to the APS12s. With a small garden, I don't need 24-40 of something and it is hard to start different seeds with various germination and growth patterns in one tray. With the APS 12, I can start tomatoes in one, eggplant and peppers later in another, etc. My only negative criticism is that the bottom trays on these systems are too flimsy, especially at the edges.

The 12 pack set is okay but not as good as the other seed starters. I say this because they are made of styrofoam. Yes, I realize they are sturdier than the thin plastic starters, but they are too high when put on the same shelf as the 24 pack starters. They will do and I'll figure out where to place them next year when I start the seeds for the community gardens in town. Overall, I would recommend this product.

I use this to start most of my seeds that require indoor germination and to be transplanted outdoors in late spring. This item fits in my windows which get a sun all day. It perfect for starting anything from lettuce to tomatoes.

I got 2 APS 12 seed starters and started beefy heirloom tomatoes in one, and grape tomatoes in the other. Both germinated nicely and are growing strong. I especially like the self-watering capillary matting that keeps the seedlings moist even if I forget to check their water for a day or two. I also like that you can add liquid fertilizer to the water mixture if you like.

When starting seeds indoors, you'll want to use the right growing medium and be sure to give your plants adequate light. But what sort of container will you plant the seeds into?

There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.

We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!